Laura Massaro crowned new world champion in epic final
Briton uses every speck of the court to gain upper hand over Egyptian in electric first game that sets her up for victory
World number two Laura Massaro was crowned the new world women’s squash champion on Sunday after edging Egypt’s Nour El Sherbini in a suspenseful final.
Massaro downed Sherbini 11-7, 6-11, 11-9, 5-11, 11-9 in front of a full house on the Malaysian island of Penang.
The 30-year-old Massaro made an electric start to the first game, using every speck of the court to her advantage to gain the upper hand at 11-7.
It was an emotional battle for me today ... being mentally strong and being gritty when it counts
But Sherbini, who had produced the shock of the championship by claiming the scalp of top seed Nicol David, was no pushover and her excellent front-court play brought her level after the second game at 1-1.
The third game saw both players trade points until 9-9, but Massaro held her nerve to win and take the lead for the second time.
The pendulum swung in Sherbini’s favour in the fourth game, the 18-year-old racking up seven consecutive points to win 11-5 and tie the scores at 2-2.
The deciding fifth game was as close as it got, but Massaro again showed nerves of steel to win 11-9 and claim the game’s biggest prize.
